Equipment Grants and Loans

The right equipment enables disabled children to be independent, safe and comfortable. This helps them feel more involved at home, in the community and in education. It’s one of the ways we help disabled children find joy and independence.

Equipment grants 

You can apply for a loan for if your child has medical and postural needs, or environmental needs. 

Here’s what we will fund:

• Medical/postural needs: We provide grants to disabled children who need equipment to support their posture. This can include beds, buggies, car seats, and wheelchairs. We also fund medical equipment and other essential healthcare items your child might need.
• Environmental needs: We provide grants to support safe and independent living at home. This can include beds, car seats, buggies or manual wheelchairs. Equipment should help the child access the wider community. 

Equipment grants promote independence and wellbeing. Our grants are  there to bring joy to childhood.

We’ve made the application process as simple as possible to complete. You can find details of how we assess applications in the FAQs below.

Equipment Loans 

If you’re not eligible for a grant, you can apply for an Emergency Equipment Loan.

These loans are for children who need immediate support after a sudden change in their condition. Equipment loans ensure children can be safe, comfortable and supported at home.

We can provide you with the specialist medical equipment you need for up to six months. You can borrow items like beds and buggies.

Can I apply ?

You can apply for an equipment grant or loan if the child is:

• a UK resident or has lived here for over 6 months
• under 19 years old
• has a disability or health condition

Each child will need a health or social care professional to support their application. They must be involved in the child’s care.

We can support funding requests up to £10,000.

Short-term loans (up to 6 months) may be available for medical emergencies.

You can’t apply if you’ve received an equipment funding grant in the past 12 months.

How to apply 

The quickest and easiest way to apply is by using our online form.

You’ll need your child’s NHS number when you apply, so please have it ready. 

You’ll also need the support of a qualified professional to support your application. We will contact them, so ensure you’ve spoken to them before you apply.

The application is only accessible when grant funding is available. If you can’t access the grant form, then we’re not able to offer funding.

What happens after I submit the application form?

After you have submitted your application, your nominated professional will need to complete Part B of the form. Once Part B has been completed we will review your application.

If it meets our eligibility criteria, one of our preferred suppliers will carry out an assessment for your child. You’ll discuss what equipment is needed.

Your application will then be considered for funding after the assessment has been completed.

We’ll consider all funding options available to you. Funding decisions can take up to six months. We receive a large number of applications and funding isn’t guaranteed.

What we can’t fund

We have limited funds and can’t support every application. Here’s a list of things we don’t fund through equipment grants: